Expandable house structure

ABSTRACT

A HOUSING UNIT IS PROVIDED WHICH IS CAPABLE OF BEING EXPANDED FROM A COMPACT CONDITION DESIRABLE FOR MOBILITY BY VERTICAL MOVEMENT OF A ROOF SECTION RELATIVE A MAIN FRAME SECTION AND BY SUBSTANTIALLY STIMULTANEOUS LONGITUDINAL EXTENSION OF AT LEAST ONE END SECTION OUTWARD OF THE OTHER SECTIONS.

Feb. 2, 1971 K. a HARTER 3,560,043

EXPANDABLE HOUSE STRUCTURE File d May 12, 1969 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. KEV/Vii Z #4275? BY Mw ESMHH Feb. 2, 1971 K. R. HARTER EXPANDABLE HOUSE STRUCTURE 3 Sheds-Sheet 3 Filed May 12, 1969 A ffdF/VEV Feb. 2, 1971 K. R. HARTER 3,560,043

EXPANDABLE HOUSE STRUCTURE Filed May 12. l969 3 3 Sheets-$heet S M 9 53% ESMLTH United States Patent ()1 ice 3,560,043 Patented Feb. 2, 1971 3,560,043 EXPANDABLE HOUSE STRUCTURE Kenneth R. Harter, 6406 5. 143111 St., Seattle, Wash. 98104 Filed May 12, 1969, Ser. No. 823,862 Int. Cl. B60p 3/34 US. Cl. 29627 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A housing unit is provided which is capable of being expanded from a compact condition desirable for mobility by vertical movement of a roof section relative a main frame section and by substantially simultaneous longitudinal extension of at least one end section outward of the other sections.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A rectangular floor frame has a pair of upstanding opposed side walls. An outwardly movable drawer section is telescopically associated with at least one but preferably with both the nonwalled ends of the fioor frame. A roof section has side walls that overlap the fioor frame side walls and is vertically movable from the telescoped to the expanded position desirably to enclose living space. The roof section has hinged end wall means to cooperate with the drawer section or sections to close the space therebetween when the house is expanded. Elevator means and draft means is provided in the walls of the sections and is operable from a central station to move the various sections in extension or vice versa as desired. The important object of the invention has been the provision of suitable housing structural sections so related and coordinated that the transition between the extended and compacted conditions is simply, smoothly and rapidly accomplished. A further object has been the embodiment of such structure in a mobile housing unit.

IN THE DRAWINGS FIG. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view of the frame of the house expanded;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are cross sections taken on line 5-5 and 6-6, respectively, of FIG. 4;

FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 are elevation views in the plane AA of FIG. 5 partially in section and partially in phantom showing apparatus producing relative movement of frame elements during expansion or contraction of the house;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of linkage means employed during the expansion of the house;

FIG. 11 is a detailed view in plan of a wall connection; and

FIG. 12 is a vertical sectional view on line 12-12 of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The preferred construction of this invention is shown as embodied in what is described as a trailer home or a mobile home. It will be apparent that the structural features and elements combined in this invention may be variously applied in other housing structures. A rectangular floor frame comprising longitudinal members 12 and cross members 14 is mounted upon wheels 16 in a conventional manner. Such frame is provided with a forward extending tongue 18 including a hitch coupling 20 to secure the tongue in towing relation to a tractor vehicle. Tongue 20 includes a jack leg 22 for use when the unit is disconnected from its tractor. Tongue 18 may also carrying a fuel bottle 24 for heating, cooking and refrigeration purposes.

The main floor frame, comprising members 12, 12 and 14, 14, is decked with flooring panel 26, at the sides of which are an opposed pair of upstanding walls 28. Each of the walls 28 comprise vertical frame members 32, 34 and longitudinal frame members 36, best seen in FIG. 4. The structural members are preferably tubular and are appropriately joined by well-known welding techniques to form a rigid frame. The side walls 28 are sheathed by suitable plates or panels 38. It will also be understood that the interior surfaces of the frames may be suitably lined as by the use of wood or other paneling. The spaces in the frame enclosed by the wall panels are filled with insulative material. Thus, it will be seen that the main frame comprises a rectangular floor having a pair of upstanding walls at opposite edges thereof. Normally, such frame in the case of a doubly expandable house does not include any end walls. That is, the frame in this form is open ended.

There is an outwardly movable drawer section which is telescopically related at each end of the floor frame. This drawer frame of the outwardly movable section comprises main longitudinal beams 42 at the sides, a cross member 44, end frame members 46, and cross members 48. Each beam 42 is telescopically related to a main frame beam 12 as best shown in FIG. 5. In the contracted condition beam member 42 is fully telescoped within frame member 12 and in the expanded position it is withdrawn as shown in FIG. 4. Frame members 46 at the front of the drawer section are externally and internally sheathed by panels 47 to form a closed end wall. A pair of inner and outer panels 49 extend from the outer end of frame 39 toward the walls of the main frame 28, which is interposed therebetween (see FIGS. 5 and 11).

Roof section 50 has opposed depending side walls 52 and 54 which telescope downward external of the side walls 28 of the floor frame and also of the sides of said movable end section 39. Roof section 50 comprises upright structural members 54 and 56, longitudinal members and 61 and cross members 62, joined to form a rigid frame as depicted in FIG. 4. Upright members 54 are guidedly secured to upright members 32 in the manner shown in FIG. 6. Member 32 carries a slotted guide or track 64 and element 54 carries an interfitting T- shaped guided member 66. By this arrangement vertical travel in a straight line of the frame 50 with respect to the main or floor frame is obtained.

Roof section 50 at each end, in the preferred embodiment shown, includes a depending wall which is horizontally hinged at 72. When the roof section is lowered or telescoped with respect to the floor frame, as shown in FIG. 7, front wall 70 is disposed in close juxtaposition to the wall 46 of the movable end section 39. Horns 69 engage the lower edge of wall 70 and guide and secure it in the lowered position. As roof section 50 is raised, front wall 70 slides or peels with respect to Wall 46 for an initial period of movement. Then wall 46 begins to be projected outward, and wall 70 continues to be raised. The two tend to slide with respect to each other until the position shown in FIG. 4 is reached. Then the upper frame edge 48 of end section 39 and the lower frame edge 71 of wall 70 come into interfitting relation to form a closed joint in what is then the outwardly bowed end wall of the mobile house.

Roof section 50 is provided with a half door element 51 and windows 53 and 55 in side wall 52.

Wall 28 of the rectangular floor frame may also have a half door element 54 in registry with door element 51 so that when the structure is raised, as shown in FIG. 2, a full length access door facility is available for ingress and egress with regard to the enclosure.

Referring to FIG. 11, post 54 of frame 50 telescopes into frame post 34 of the main frame. Sheave 74 is journalled on pin 75 mounted in cheek plates 76 supported on post 34. The sheave extends through a slot in a wall of post 34 into close proximity to post 54. Cable 73 passes over sheave 72 and descends between posts 34 and 54 and is anchored at 78 to the lower end of post 54. Near floor level is sheave 80 aligned with sheave 74 around which cable 73 passes. Cable 70 is connected to coupler link 82 having notch 84 therein. Chain 86 is connected to link 82 opposite cable 73 and encircles sprocket 88 on shaft 90 (see FIG. 12). Chain 86 then extends outward from sprocket 88 beneath link 82 to connection 92 with the other end of cable 73 which then passes around sheave 94 and extends to sheave 74.

Driven shaft 90 is journalled in bearings 96 mounted beneath deck 26 and extends across the main frame where there is another sprocket (not shown) to operate similar mechanism on the other side of the vehicle. Sprocket gear 100 on driven shaft 90 connects by means of a chain 102 to a sprocket located on a counter shaft within drive coupling 104. Shaft 106 and ratchet handle 108 permits manual operation of the system which, of course, may also be power operated.

Dog arm 110 is pivotally coupled by pin 112 to frame member 42. Arm 110 has a T-head including lugs 114 and 116 (see FIG. Lug 114 engages in notch 84 in link 82 and is held therein by reason of lug 116 riding on a flange ledge 118 which is part of the frame structure.

Referring to FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 it will be seen that when the frame elements are fully compacted, as in FIG. 1, dog 110 and link 82 are disengaged. Upon initial travel of link 82 relative dog 110, the distance determined by the length of link 82, lug 114 engages in notch 84 against the trailing wall 85 and the two parts are secured together. Initial movement of the member 42 is thus obtained only after there has occurred initial vertical movement of the top element 50. This permits hinged wall 70 to be lifted away from retaining or locking horns 69 and also for the upper inner part of wall 70 to be raised relative drawer end wall 46 before the latter begins to move outward. This avoids untoward outward angular displacement of the hinged wall 70 as would otherwise be the case if movement of drawer section 39 were not initially restrained.

The upper trailing corners of drawer walls 49, 49 are joined by yoke 120 secured in place by fasteners 122. Yoke 120 engages around post 54 when the latter is raised and functions as a stop to limit outward extension of the upper edges of walls 49. However, by insuring that beams 42 and floor 40 are extended or caused to over travel a slightly greater distance than the travel of the upper edges of the drawer section 39, the yoke 120 comes into positive locking engagement with post 54 before beams 42 have been fully extended. This results in the drawer section 39 and its floor being canted slightly as it pivots around the yoke-post engagement.

There is inherent looseness or slack in such an assem bly as has been described. Cables stretch and parts adjust under loading.

Normally the end sections 42 contain bunks for sleeping and storage areas underneath. The cant of the floor 40 and section 39 accommodates a slight settling in the end sections 39 when a load is applied with the result that floor 40 becomes level with floor 26 and does not sag as otherwise could be the situation.

The triangular spaces between the upper edges of the sidewalls of drawer sections 39 and the hinged wall 70 are closed when the roof is fully raised by window sections 130 hinged at 132 which swing upward into position from horizontal disposition when the house is compacted.

It will be understood that in a housing unit where there are two end sections there need be two extension mechanisms. Second sprocket 89 on shaft powers such second mechanism which, however, works in reverse order to the one described.

This is accomplished by merely inverting or reversing the chain-cable-link dog system so that it operates in the opposite direction.

Changes and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art and are contemplated herein in describing and disclosing the principles of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An expandable house, comprising:

a rectangular floor frame having an opposed pair of upstanding side walls vertically unconnected at one end;

a horizontally movable drawer section comprising a floor and upstanding side walls, the outer edges of which are connected by a single end wall;

said drawer section being telescopically related to said floor frame and its side walls at said one end;

a roof section overlying said floor frame and having depending walls in telescopic relation to said floor frame side walls and said single end wall of the drawer section;

the upper edge of the depending wall of said roof section, telescopically related to said drawer section end wall, being hingedly connected in a horizontal manner to said roof section to swing outward;

means to elevate said roof section relative said floor frame; and

means to horizontally move said drawer section outward relative said floor frame;

said hingedly connected end wall being swung to inclined position by outward movement of the drawer section to space-enclosing relation spanning between the roof section and the drawer section.

2. An expandable house as set forth in claim 1 in which the means to elevate the roof section and the means to horizontally move the drawer section are interconnected and are mutually activated by a single power source.

3. The structure set forth in claim 2 in which there is lost-motion connection means between the roof elevating means and the drawer section moving means whereby a predetermined elevation of the roof section occurs before horizontal movement of the drawer section begins.

4. The structure set forth in claim 3 in which the roof elevating means comprises an endless transport element including an elongated link having a notch near one end, and there is a lug associated with said drawer element closely related to said link and engageable in said link notch after a predetermined transport of said link.

5. The structure of claim 1 in which closure means are provided for disposition contiguous with the edges of said outward swung roof wall and the adjacent drawer walls and roof side walls.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,168,062 8/1939 Davey 29623.3 2,343,261 3/1944 Marple 29623.3 2,457,581 12/1948 McCain 29623.3

PHILIP GOODMAN, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 52-66 

